Эрин Хантер - The Fourth Apprentice

“It’s time for us to go, too,” Lionblaze told Blackstar. “Whitetail, will you and Sedgewhisker travel back with us?”

“Yes, we will,” Whitetail replied. “Blackstar, thank you for asking us into your camp, but it’s time we went back to our own Clans.”

A pang of regret clawed through Dovepaw as she turned to say good-bye to Toadfoot and Tigerheart. They seemed different, somehow, now that they were back with their Clanmates. Already their scent was sharpening, had become less familiar, and their expressions were harder to read. They’re more…more ShadowClan now. When we were traveling together we were all one Clan.

Toadfoot was standing beside Tawnypelt; he gave Lionblaze and the others a dignified nod. “I’m proud to have traveled with you,” he meowed. “And prouder still that we achieved what we set out to do.”

To Dovepaw, it sounded like the kind of formal report a leader would make at a Gathering; not for the first time, she wondered how Toadfoot really felt, and if his loyalty had ever really extended beyond his own Clan to the cats who had traveled with him.

With a sidelong glance at his Clanmates, Tigerheart bounded up to Dovepaw and rubbed his muzzle against hers. “I’ll miss you,” he whispered. “I’ll see you at the Gatherings, right?”

Dovepaw just had time to reply, “Yes, I’ll miss you, too,” before Toadfoot beckoned the younger warrior away with a jerk of his head. Tigerheart bounded back to his Clanmates.

“Keep practicing that battle move I showed you,” Sedgewhisker reminded him. “I’ll beat you at the next Gathering!”

Tigerheart gave a last wave of his tail as the ThunderClan and WindClan cats turned away, heading back through the drenched pine trees toward the stream. With Lionblaze in the lead, they walked silently along the bank, still keeping to the ShadowClan side, until they reached the lake.

Dovepaw had half expected to see it brimming full, as it had been in her dream, but the water’s edge was still far away across the stretch of mud. The stream was spilling out onto the dry stones of the lakebed; I don’t suppose any of us will mind getting our paws wet in future , Dovepaw reflected as they splashed through the water and padded along beside ThunderClan territory.

When they reached the point where she and Lionblaze would need to turn in to the forest to head for the stone hollow, they said good-bye to the WindClan cats.

This is really the end , Dovepaw thought sadly. We’re not a patrol any longer. Just cats from different Clans.

“Good-bye,” Whitetail mewed; her eyes were full of regret, as if she too was sad that their journey had come to an end. “May StarClan light your path.”

“And yours,” Lionblaze replied.

He and Dovepaw stood close together for a few heartbeats, watching the two WindClan cats trek wearily along the edge of the lake. Then the ThunderClan cats scrambled up the shore and headed into the dripping trees. Before they had taken more than a couple of paw steps, Dovepaw heard a yowl behind them and spotted Sandstorm racing across the lakebed, with Foxleap, Icecloud, and Toadstep following her. All four cats carried bundles of soaked moss in their jaws.

“Hey, it’s Lionblaze and Dovepaw!” Foxleap exclaimed, dropping his moss and putting on a spurt to pass Sandstorm and reach his Clanmates first. “You’re back! You brought the water!”

Icecloud raced alongside her brother. “What happened?” she mumbled around her mouthful of moss. “Did you find the animals?”

“Was it scary?” asked Toadstep, his eyes shining as he crowded around with the others.

“Give them some space,” Sandstorm meowed. “There’ll be plenty of time to hear their story back in the hollow. Foxleap, run ahead and tell Firestar that they’re back.”

Foxleap took off through the trees with a joyful flick of his tail, while Lionblaze and Dovepaw followed more slowly, escorted by the water patrol. By the time the thorn barrier across the entrance to the hollow came in sight, cats were spilling out through the thorn tunnel. Just like the floodwater breaking through the dam , Dovepaw thought. Briarpaw, Bumblepaw, and Blossompaw were scampering around, play fighting with one another in their excitement. The older warriors followed more slowly, their tails erect and their eyes shining. Poppyfrost emerged, heavy with her kits, escorted by Ferncloud and Daisy. Even the elders appeared, Mousefur guiding Longtail with her tail across his shoulders, and Purdy lumbering along behind.

As Firestar pushed his way through the thorns, the other cats drew back to each side to let him pass. The ThunderClan leader padded forward until he stood in front of Lionblaze and Dovepaw, and he reached out to touch each of them on the shoulder with the tip of his tail.

“Congratulations,” he mewed, his green eyes shining with pride. “You have saved the lives of all the Clans.”

Gesturing with his tail, he invited Lionblaze and Dovepaw to enter the camp ahead of him. The rest of the Clan poured in behind. Cloudtail dragged an enormous rabbit from the fresh-kill pile and dropped it at Lionblaze’s feet.

“Here, eat,” he meowed. “You both must be starving.”

“Later, thanks.” Lionblaze dipped his head to the white warrior. “We’ve got to report to Firestar first.”

But it was impossible to move because more and more cats pressed around them.

“What was blocking the stream?”

“Were there really brown animals?”

“Did you have any trouble with the Twolegs?”

Trying to ignore the excited questions, Dovepaw strained upward on the tips of her paws, peering over the heads of the cats who surrounded her.

Where is she?

At last she spotted Ivypaw hanging back from the crowd, casting a shy glance at her sister and then gazing down at her paws. Dovepaw shouldered her way through the cats until she reached her sister.

“Ivypaw!” she mewed. “I’ve missed you so much!”

Ivypaw looked up at her with sad eyes. “I was afraid you wouldn’t!” she confessed.

“Don’t be such a mouse-brain,” Dovepaw murmured affectionately. “We’re best friends, aren’t we? I thought of you all the time!” Well, lots of the time at least.

“Hey, Dovepaw!”

At the sound of her mentor’s voice, Dovepaw turned. Lionblaze was standing with Firestar and Brambleclaw near the bottom of the tumbled rocks.

“We need to make our report,” he called. “Firestar wants us to tell the whole Clan what happened.”

“Coming,” Dovepaw replied.

As she padded toward him, she saw Lionblaze’s gaze shift to focus on something behind her. “Jayfeather,” he mewed with a nod.

Glancing back, Dovepaw saw Jayfeather approaching from the direction of his den. She swallowed a gasp of shock: The medicine cat looked seasons older than when she and Lionblaze had left the camp. His eyes were haunted, his body had the gaunt look of an elder, and he had a fresh scar down one side. He put one paw slowly in front of another, as if he wasn’t sure his legs would hold him upright.

“Welcome back,” he rasped.

“Thanks, Jayfeather.” Dovepaw couldn’t take her eyes off him. What had happened while they were away to make him look like that?

Looking back at Lionblaze, Dovepaw saw her own shock reflected in his eyes. She followed Jayfeather as he headed over toward the Clan leader and the other cats, with a quick glance over her shoulder at Ivypaw.

“I’ll be back soon,” she promised.

“That’s very bad news about Rippletail,” Firestar meowed when Lionblaze and Dovepaw had finished their report. “We are all Clanmates in this. We have lost a brave warrior.”

All the Clan bowed their heads in silence.